There is Always Hope
by Jemppy
Summary: When tragedy strikes Jack is the worse possible way, he has to learn to hope for the return of freedom, or give up on the emotion that he considers the harbinger of disappointment.


AN: Yes, I have another fic to post. If you want me to stop flooding the section, just tell me. But here is another series. Of course it won't be as epic as _Whispers _or _The Sea and the Sin, _I only imagine 2 or 3 parts. It is almost philosophical in nature. I like challenging beliefs. And here is a fic on it. Hope. Good or Bad? 

As for pairings? There seems like there will be some later, but at the moment they are up in the air, no matter how much Norah insists that it be Jack/Elizabeth.

Disclaimers: The Big Brother type Mouse owns them all. I own a shoe and a computer. They ain't taking my computer! So hence the disclaimer.

_There is Always Hope...._

Part 1: _"But we'd never reach it, no matter how hard we tried."_

_**~**_

"So let me get this straight, love, our old and mutual _friend_ Norrington never got around to hangin' 'ol Barbossa's crew." Captain Jack Sparrow lounged with his feet propped up on the dark cherry-wood desk that resided in the Captain's quarters on the _Black Pearl_. He steepled his long fingers in front of his face and idly stared at the rings that rested on those fingers. "And by not setting that hangin' date, many escaped, I can't imagined how that would happen. And now they got Will?"

Elizabeth Swann paced the length of the room, tugging in frustration at her dress that confined her chest. Anger and fear was written across her face and Jack could understand why. He figured that he would be a little bit on the miffed side if his soon-to-be had just been carried off by a bunch of vengeful pirates. She stopped pacing long enough to turn an icy glare on him. "Yes, Sparrow, that is what I've been telling you for the past hour now. How many times do I have to say it for you to believe it?"

"Just once more, love." he gave her a slight condescending grin.

The glare dropped from her face and her eyes were suddenly filled with tears. Jack dropped his feet from the table and sat up in alarm. "Uh...lass?" he was at a loss when women broke out the water works on him. "Do you need a hanky or somethin'" he offered a bit lamely. Her tears just began to flow faster and her breath started to hitch.

Elizabeth sank down in one of the unoccupied chairs and shook her head at Jack's offer. Jack watched on helplessly, having no clue how to handle this one. He could take on un-dead pirates, being marooned _twice_, being the unjust victim of a mutiny, and the sufferer of many of undeserved slaps, but he couldn't handle a sobbing woman. He just wasn't good at this comforting thing.

But what Elizabeth needed at the moment was just a few minutes to break down and cry, her dignity be damned. It had been a long two days. Finding out that the fort had been ransacked, many officers killed, the Lieutenant Gillette being amongst the dead, then finding the smithy in shambles, the body of old Brown with his throat cut and naught but a note on the whereabouts of Will Turner.

_'Bring us Jack Sparrow. Or else Turner gets it. We are where it all started.'_

So she had found him. He hadn't been far, just in one of the many taverns of Tortuga. She and Commodore Norrington sailed there as quickly as they could, her woman's intution telling her that he would be there. And there she found him.

"Are you alright, missy?" Jack asked, a note of wariness in his voice.

She wiped the last of her tears from her eyes and resumed her proud stance once more. "Thank you Mister Sparrow. But now, will you help me?"

Jack leaned forward on his elbows and gave her a piercing look through kohl lined eyes. "Listen here, I know that Will means a lot for you. I know that from our last little adventure with these boys. But now? It be either his life or mine and unlike last time you don't be having anything to offer to me." he schooled his face not to react with the hardness took over hers.

"You're going to condemn him to death? You, who went with him to rescue me, won't go and save your friend? He'd do it for you!" She propelled herself up to her feet in anger.

"Ah, but dear William sprung me from that lovely little cell that you got down there in Port Royal. Plus I had incentive. I need my Pearl." Jack remained unmoved from Elizabeth's display of fury. "Now all that I get out of this little trip would be an early death. Don't have any illusions about this business, missy, they want either my life or Will's. There's no hope in the matter."

"But he is your friend! Don't you have any honor?" she demanded, eyes flaring at what she considered the other man's heartlessness.

Jack splayed his hands out in an expression of submission. "Pirate." he smiled slightly.

"I can not believe that you are finding humor in this! Will risked his life to save you from the hangman's noose and when he is in trouble, all you can say is what is in for me?"

That earned a wince from the pirate. The memory of Will's rescue hadn't yet faded from his mind. But he was different from the version of pirate in Elizabeth's mind. He may have done acts that warranted a belief that he wasn't completely heartless but the word that Jack would have used to describe how he really was, was '_opportunistic_'. He was an '_ends justify the means_' type a guy. And there was no gain no matter what the end was in this situation.

"Love, my hands are tied in this matter." he raised his hands up.

A rough hand gripped his right wrist and spun him around forcefully. "Your hands will be tied if you do not help Ms. Swann on this matter."

Jack, ignoring the pain in his hand, he smiled sweetly at the newcomer. "Commodore! Pleasure seeing you again. Though it seems that every time we meet, you seem to have me confined." he said gesturing to the hold on his wrist.

Norrington stared down at the shorter man, disgust written plainly on his face. "You will do what Ms. Swann asks of you else you will find yourself with another appointment with the gallows."

Jack pushed himself forward, hand still held captive, invading Norrington's personal space. "And what do you have to offer if I do what the lovely Ms. Swann asks of me?"

Norrington glared, but did not step back from the pirate's advances. "If you do this, then you will go free. And I will turn a blind eye to you whenever you should desire to visit Port Royal, as long as it is just you and your business is benevolent."

The pirate paused in consideration. Then a smile grew wide on his face and with a quick flick of his right wrist, he rotated his hand around in Norrington's grasp so that he was now holding the Commodore's hand. "Then we have an accord." 

Elizabeth let out a sigh a relief and moved to where the two men stood. "Oh thank you Jack!" she flung her arms about him and nearly sobbed in happiness. "We must leave now! Weigh anchor and set sail for Isle de Muerte!" 

Jack pulled out of Norrington's hold and leaned close to Elizabeth. "One thing we need to get straight on this little adventure that we soon find ourselves embarking on is this: I'm in charge here, I give the orders, savvy?"

**~**

The _Black Pearl_ was the fastest ship in the Caribbean. But it still took several days to reach their destination. And it was several days too long for Elizabeth. Being confined to a pirate ship under the command of a mad pirate and forced to spend time with a stuffy British commodore and waiting in fear for Will's life was starting to weigh on her already shot nerves. This trip to the island seemed much worse than the one that she spent as a prisoner on the same ship. 

So now there she stood, near the forecastle staring over the bowsprit at the point where the sea met the sky. Staring, in an attempt to see the island, to reassure herself that they would get there in time and save him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, love?" a slurred voice broke into her thoughts.

Turning she saw the aforementioned mad pirate leaning over the rail and staring at the same point. The wind blew the thick dark hair back, causing many of the beads and trinkets to click and chime together. He rested his expressive hands over the edge of the rail and had them crossed at the wrists, idly tapping two jeweled rings against one another. 

"I always loved the horizon." he stated conversationally. "It was always like a destination point for me, I'd just aim the Pearl for it and we'd sail. But we would never reach it, no matter how hard we tried. It's like the pirate's Valhalla or something."

The pirate would always catch her off guard like that. Most of the time he'd be babbling on with out making any sense whatsoever, but then he'd leave a gem of incredible insight. "Valhalla?" she asked, interested.

"Aye, it is a myth that the old Norse used to tell about. It is where the warrior Vikings would go to when they would die." he finally tore his gaze from the horizon. "Those Norsemen were like early pirates, lass, did you ever read 'bout them?"

She shook her head, feeling slightly ashamed. Here she was supposed to be the well-read upper-class woman and this low vagabond always seemed to know more than her. It must have been the result of seeing the world and hearing the tales like he had. He probably didn't even know how to read anyway.

He turned back to the vision beyond the Pearl. "You should, love, they are interesting people, they are. We approach Isle de Muerte. Will waits for us." with that sudden subject change, the captain turned and disappeared from the forecastle.

Worry and anxiousness gripped her stomach as she gazed out at the horizon, trying to see the dark island that she had seen not so long ago. To her it seemed as if the horizon was coming closer, like they would be able to touch it soon. It was then that she realize how different she was from Jack. Not just the obvious reasons, but in every little thing, they were separate. In a single horizon, Jack saw forever, an unreachable end. In that same vision, she saw an end, a closeness that would soon be reached as long as she continued to strive for it.

Will would be saved.

**~**

Norrington was waiting for Jack when he came down from the top-side. The naval officer was sitting stiffly in on of the chairs that sat next to the wooden desk. The sight of the British man made him want to sigh in frustration. Norrington had made sure to be the biggest nuisance as possible on the rescue mission and he was doing a supreme job of it. He was always demanding to be a part of the decision making on board. Now of course the pirate's way of doing things involved voting and making sure the crew was happy with the decisions that the captain was making. But the commodore was neither a crew member or a pirate and therefore did not have any say on the orders issued. But of course the self-righteous man couldn't understand that.

"Commodore!" Jack greeted, opening arms wide. "What a pleasure meeting you here." he took a seat in the captain's chair and immediately propped his legs back up on to the desk. "What service may I be of you?"

"When are we due to make berth?" the man demanded.

"Ah, Isle de Muerte approaches, we should meet her by nightfall." he clasped his hands in his lap and gazed over at the man through half-lidded eyes, "Why did you want to know?"

"We need a plan of action. These men are cruel and vicious and they want you dead. We can not go in there based on some half wit scheme of yours. We need an actual course to follow." he stood and fixed one of the brass buttons that donned his uniform. 

Jack nodded slowly. "I know these men as well as you. If not more. But what plan have you in mind?"

"I say we storm the cave. Take them by surprise and force, there are not so many of them and they will crumble."

"Crumble under what army, eh Commodore?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "I just see my ship and my crew plus two guests. We are no trained British fleet here under your command. Storming those men would be more daft than anything I could come up and believe you me, I've considered many options. Even one where I wear one of Elizabeth's dresses." 

Norrington paused in his button fiddling to give him a strange look.

"But I quickly pushed that one away. My butt's too big anyway." Jack pulled his feet back down and sat up a bit straighter. "No we must do as we did last time, sneak in and confront what we see. All I ask is that you trust me."

"Trust a pirate?" the sneer was evident in the tone.

"I know it may be hard for you, but yes, trust a blithering pirate. Incase you haven't noticed, I've gotten myself out of many other tight situations." Jack rested his head on his hand and leaned over the desk.

"No I have not forgotten." his voice dropped to a lower, less hostile tone. "Do you think Mister Turner will be unscathed?"

Jack pondered that question. "Pirates can be vicious, and Barbossa turned those men in the most vicious pirates out there. So there is a risk. But he isn't just a captive, Commodore, he is a barter chip. If he is harmed or dead, then they can't get to me like they wish. So if they have any shred of intelligence left, then I think that the whelp will be fine."

"That's putting a lot of faith into their intelligence."

"Good point. Now why don't you get some rest Commodore, we have a Turner to rescue tonight."

**~**

Night had fallen when the Commodore, Elizabeth and Jack set out for the cave on the island in a small rowboat. Jack sat at the prow of the boat, crouched with his hands fold over his knees, staring at the approaching mouth of the cave. Norrington sat in the middle, each oar grasped in his hands as he propelled the group forward. While Elizabeth occupied the stern.

"Elizabeth, you should have remained back aboard the _Black Pearl_." Norrington chided as he continued to row.

"Give it up lad, she ain't never gonna be left while we menfolk go and fight." Jack murmured, not taking his eyes off the water. "At least she got some decent fighting clothes on."

Jack couldn't see the sneer that spread across the Commodore face. He had been against the idea of bringing Elizabeth onto the island and he was even more dead set against the extra change of clothes that Anamaria had loaned her for better movement.

Her dress had been shed in favor of a loose white, drawstring shirt, a rope belt, and some brown cutoff breeches. In a way it was similar to the naval uniform that she had worn during the last fight on the island.

"I thank you for the concern, Commodore, but I need to be here as much as you do." Elizabeth spoke up for herself.

"But-"

Jack spun around and hushed the two before the argument could begin again. "We must keep quiet now, savvy? Who knows if these fools gathered enough brains to put on a lookout. Unlikely but still, keep yer mouths shut, savvy?" he repeated, giving the two one last pointed look and turned back to his vantage point.

The horizon had long ago blended with the black water, the line no longer visible. Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried to push back the thoughts of fear and worry that threatened to take over her mind. Will could be in pain or worse. Things were taking too long.

"I just got to keep up hope." she muttered to herself, under her breath.

Her whisper caught Jack's attention, and he turned to give her an unreadable look. "Lass, I wouldn't be holding on to that emotion."

"And why shouldn't she?" Norrington asked softly, each word punctuated by the slap of the oars hitting the water.

"Hope isn't something you should waste yer time on, it always lets you down in the end." he turned back to the water, his dark eyes reflecting the shine off of the water.

Elizabeth detected the hint of bitterness in the pirate's voice. "Hope lets you get through the bad time."

All she could see was the back of his beaded head. The dark half plait swayed as he shook this head in denial. "Hope leads you to be thinkin' thoughts that you have no right to be thinkin', missy. They let you believe in things that could happen but never will. It makes you shed tears when you realize that it will never be. Disappointment is hell, lass."

"That's a rather depressing outlook on things, Mister Sparrow." Norrington raised an eyebrow at the back of the pirate captain. "Not really realistic either."

Jack spun around at that, causing the dingy to rock alarmingly. "Realistic, Commodore? Realistic? Now tell me, did you go around hopin' that Ms. Swann over here was going to gather you up in her arms and say 'I do, 'til death do us part.'? Did you? I know you did, I saw it in your eye on the Dauntless when you decided to go after Will. And then, after you tried to hang me, when she denied you in front of everyone, I saw the weight of disappoint on your shoulders, lad. I see lots of things. Was hope's failings realistic then?" there was no malic in the smaller man's words, just steel conviction.

Norrington stare in shock back at him. A torrent of emotions played across the officer's face, each more readable than the last. Shock, anger, sadness. And over the commodore's shoulder, Jack could see the smaller, but equally readable face of the Governor's daughter, flushed with guilt. His double target barb had hit their mark. And they all fell into silence, allowing the sound of the oars and water fill the air.


End file.
